Rise & Shine: New York City plays ball with thousands of students previously denied access to school sports programs

Last night, one of the locals representing teachers in the the city’s community-based pre-Ks voted to authorize a strike if their demands for higher pay aren’t met, Christina reported. The teachers often earn significantly less than those who work in public schools, despite working more hours and longer days. The vote comes at an awkward moment for the mayor, who is testing the waters of a presidential run and has been touting his pre-K program as a singular achievement.

Reema will also be following a state hearing today on mayoral control ― be sure to check back in with Chalkbeat for updates. Our national desk has examined a new report on the state of charter schools, demonstrating the power state authorizers can have over the sector. And thousands of city students previously denied access to athletic programs at their schools will soon be able to play ball, thanks to a new pilot program.

Meanwhile, the ramifications of the admissions scandal involving elite colleges continue to mount, with new doubts being raised about the SAT and ACT and critiques of past opposition to affirmative action, and a new class-action lawsuit by students denied admission to the colleges involved.

― Sara Mosle, New York bureau chief

STRIKE THAT One of two locals under District Council 1707 representing community-based pre-K teachers in New York voted Thursday to walk off the job if their demands for higher pay are not met. Chalkbeat

LESSONS LEARNEDFewer “no excuses” and for-profit charter schools are getting the green light to open, according to a report offering a fresh look at the state of the charter school movement. Chalkbeat

PLAYING BALL Thousands of city students long denied access to school athletic programs are getting sports teams under a new pilot program. The New York Daily News

BARGAINING CHIP De Blasio is facing questions from his own party about whether mayoral control of the city’s schools should be extended. The Gothamist

FIGHTING BACK A Bronx teen charged with fatally stabbing a high school classmate and slashing another in what he says was self-defense is suing the city’s education department for failing to protect him from severe homophobic bullying by classmates. The New York Post, The New York Daily News